Shock-proof packing container

ABSTRACT

A shock-proof packing container for shipping fragile articles comprises a rectangular outer carton, a polygonal inner support member that is adapted to fit snugly within the outer carton and bear against all four side walls of the outer carton, and a flexible sling attached to opposing walls of the inner support member and extending therebetween. Fragile articles are wrapped in this sling and are thereby suspended in the interior of the packing container. Locking flaps are attached to the inner support member so that the position of the inner support member with respect to the outer carton remains fixed.

United States Patent 1191 Bluemel 1451 Aug. 14, 1973 SHOCK-PROOF PACKINGCONTAINER [22] Filed: Feb. 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 117,468

[52] US. Cl. 206/46 FR, 229/14 C [51] Int. Cl 365d 85/30 [58] Field ofSearch 206/46 FR; 229/14 C, 229/15; 217/52, 28

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,242,741 5/1941 Betts eta1. 229/14 C X 2,749,013 6/1956 Wilkinson 229/14 C 1,633,229 6/1927Rosenthal 229/14 C 1,996,965 4/1935 Keppler 206/4519 2,837,208 6/1958Lingenfelter.. 206/46 FR 3,397,831 8/1968 Adams 229/15 X 3,437,1984/1969 Van Saun et a1. 206/46 FR X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS237,322 7/1925 Great Britain 206/46 FR 427,638 6/1967 Switzerland 206/46FR Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer Attorney-Ronald L. Engel, Daniel W.Vittum, .lr., Gomer W. Walters and John A. Waters [5 7] ABSTRACT Ashock-proof packing container for shipping fragile articles comprises arectangular outer carton, a polygonal inner support member that isadapted to fit snugly within the outer carton and bear against all fourside walls of the outer carton, and a flexible sling attached toopposing walls of the inner support member and extending therebetween.Fragile articles are wrapped in this sling and are thereby suspended inthe interior of the packing container. Locking flaps are attached to theinner support member so that the position of the inner support memberwith respect to the outer carton remains fixed.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures SHOCK-PROOF PACKING CONTAINER BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates toshock-proof packing containers for shipping fragile articles, and, moreparticularly, this invention relates to shock-proof packing containerswherein fragile articles may be shipped in conventional rectangularcorrugated cardboard cartons.

2. Description of the Prior Art One method heretofore known for shippingfragile articles has been to employ shipping cartons that arespecifically designed and constructed for carrying fragile articles.Such ontainers may be effective in providing protection for the'fragilearticles, but they are usually constructed of special materials orrequire special fabrication procedures and, hence, are expensive andimpractical for shipping less expensive items.

in an effort to obviate the excessive expense of specialized shippingcartons, some attempts have been made to utilize conventionalrectangular cardboard cartons for shipping fragile articles. One of themethods employed to ship fragile articles in a conventional cardboardcarton has been to wrap the article in a plastic sling and fasten thesling across two opposite side walls of the cardboard carton, therebypositioning the article in the middle of the carton for shipping. Thistype of arrangement, however, does not provide any support for thecardboard carton itself and therefore does not prevent the carton frombeing damaged or distorted due to mishandling. Distortion or damage tothe cardboard carton in turn causes the articles within to be jostledand damaged.

Another method used for shipping fragile articles in a conventionalcardboard carton has been to surround the articles in the carton withloose dunnage or filling materials such as shredded paper, fiberglass,or the like. The use of filling materials, however, provides onlymediocre protection against shock impact and only a minimum amount ofreinforcement for the outer container. Moreover, filling material isexpensive and creates a waste problem for the person receiving theshipped article. Further, filling materials tend to be dirty and dustyand therefore are not satisfactory for articles that must be shipped ina hygienic dust-free environment.

I order to obviate the foregoing deficiencies of the prior art, thepresent invention was evolved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A shock-proof packing container constructed inaccordance with the present invention comprises a rectangular outercarton, an inner support member having a polygonal cross section thatfits snugly within the outer carton and bears against all four wallsthereof, and a flexible sling that is attached to two opposing walls ofthe inner support member and extends therebetween. Fragile articles arewrapped in this sling and are thereby suspended in the interior ofpacking container. Locking flaps are attached to the inner supportmember so as to hold the inner support member in a fixed position withrespect to the outer carton.

The inner support member is a polygonal member having at least sixsides, with two opposing sides comprising end walls which abut end wallsof the outer carton. The remaining walls comprise side walls that extendoutwardly from the end walls and contact the side walls of the outercarton. Preferably, the flexible sling is mounted to the inner supportmember by extending the ends of the sling through openings in therespective end walls of the inner support member and fastening themthereto.

The locking flaps are attached to the end walls of the inner supportmember and are interposed between the respective end walls of the innersupport member and the outer carton. The locking flaps extend from theinner support member outwardly into contact with the side walls of theouter carton, thereby holding the inner support member in a fixedposition relative to the outer carton.

Preferably, the inner support member is formed from a single rectangularcorrugated cardboard blank, with the locking flaps comprising raisedtabs that extend upwardly from the top of the blank. Thus, the innersupport member may be constructed by folding the cardboard blank intoits desired polygonal structure and then folding the locking flapsdownwardly over the outside of the end walls.

Several advantages are achieved with the apparatus of the presentinvention. First, the packaged items are resiliently suspendedapproximately in the middle of the container and are thus protected fromdamage during shipping. Further, the items to be shipped are wrapped inan air-tight plastic wrapping, which protects the contents from moistureand dust during shipping. Finally, the packing container of the presentinvention is very inexpensive and easy to construct and employs onlyconventional corrugated cardboard components.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to providea shock-proof packing container for fragile articles that is bothinexpensive and effective.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shock-proofpacking container for fragile articles that is both dust proof andmoisture proof.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide ashock-proof packing container for fragile articles which employs aconventional rectangular outer carton and requires no dunnage, fillingmaterials, or expensive specialized apparatus for protecting the fragilearticles.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a shock-proofpacking container wherein fragile articles are wrapped in a flexiblesling and the sling is suspended across an inner support member thatprovides reinforcement for the outer walls of the container.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a shock-proofpacking container of the type above described wherein the inner supportmember comprises locking flaps to retain the inner support member in afixed position within the outer carton.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shock-proofpacking container of the type above described, wherein the inner supportmember is constructed from a single corrugated cardboard blank.

These and other objects, advantages, and features of the presentinvention will hereinafter appear, and for purposes of illustration, butnot of limitation, a preferred embodiment of the subject invention isdescribed below and illustrated in the appended drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of ashock-proof shipping container constructed in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inner support member and flexiblesling arrangement of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the shock-proof packing container of thepresent invention, shown with the top of the carton open.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the inner support memberis formed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to thedrawings, a shock-proof packing container constructed in accordance withthe present invention is shown in FIG. 1. Packing container 10 comprisesan outer rectangular carton 12, an inner support member 14 that fitssnugly within outer carton l2, and a flexible sling l6 suspended acrosstwo opposing sides of inner support member 14. Flexible sling 16envelops and holds in suspension a fragile article 18, which is to beshipped.

In the preferred embodiment of the subject invention, outer carton 12 isa conventional corrugated cardboard carton having side walls 20 and 22and end walls 24 and 26. The top of outer carton 12 is closed by meansof side flaps 28 and 29 and end flaps 30 and 31. Although it is one ofthe principal advantages of the present invention that a conventionalcorrugated cardboard carton may be employed as the outer carton, it is,of course, possible for the outer carton to be constructed from othertypes of conventional materails, as well, without departing from thespirit or scope of the present invention.

Inner support member 14 comprises a channelshaped member having sixsides, with the height of the sides being equal to the height of thewalls of the outer carton. The sides of inner support member 14 comprisetwo opposing end walls 32 and 34, which abut end walls 24 and 26,respectively, of the outer container, and side walls 36, 38, 40, and 42.End walls 32 and 34 are narrowr than end walls 24 and 26 of the outercarton and, hence, terminate in outer edges that do not extend all theway outwardly to the side walls of the outer container. Side walls 36,38, 40, and 42 are each connected to an outer edge of one of the endwalls of the inner support member and extend outwardly into contact withthe corresponding side wall of the outer carton approximately at themidpoint thereof. Side walls 36 and 38 are joined along the outer edgesthereof, forming an outer edge 44 that contacts side wall 22 of theouter carton. Likewise, the outer edges of side walls 40 and 42 arejoined together forming outer edge 46, which contacts side wall 20 ofthe outer carton.

With the interior support member constructed in this manner, substantialreinforcement will be provided for the wall of the outer carton,particularly at the points where the carton is the weakest, namely, atthe midpoints of the end and side walls. Because support member 14 is apolygonal figure and side walls 36, 38, 40, and 42 all contact the wallsof the outer carton at skewed angles, the inner support member providesa buttressing effect for the walls of the outer carton that would beunachievable with a mere rectangular inner support member, absent somefurther reinfrocement of the inner support member itself.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention employs ahexagonal inner support member having the general shape of a diamondwith truncated ends, it should be recognized that other polygonalcontigurations, such as an octagonal member, also could be employedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.For example, with an octagonal inner support member (not shown), the twoadditional side walls thereof would bear against the side walls of theouter carton, instead of outer edges 44 and 46 of the hexagonal innersupport member.

In addition to the polygonal channel-shaped member. the inner supportmember further comprises locking flaps 48 and 50, which are attached toend walls 32 and 34, respectively, and which are interposed between the1 end walls of the inner support member and the respective end walls 24and 26 of the outer carton. Locking flaps 48 and 50 are flat rectangularmembers, which extend outwardly from the end walls of the inner supportmember to the side walls of the outer carton, thereby holding the endwalls of the inner support member approximately in the middle of therespective end walls of the outer carton. In the preferred embodiment ofthe subject invention, locking flaps 48 and 50 are constructed fromdouble-faced corrugated cardboard and are formed from the same blank asinner support member 14.

The articles to be shipped inside of the reinforced shipping containerare wrapped in a flexible sling, preferably formed of a plastic sheet,such as polyethylene, and the wrapping is closed by means of tape, heatseal, or other such closure method. In order tosecure the sling in placein the inner support member, the ends of the flexible sling are firstpassed through openings 52 and 54 formed in end walls 32 and 34,respectively, and are then passed over the top of the respective endwalls and are fastened thereto by means of staples 56 or other suchsuitable fastening devices. Sling 16 may be twisted at each end (asshown in the drawings) after article 18 has been wrapped therein, inorder to retain the article approximately in the center of the slingduring shipping. The article is thus carried gently in a resilientcradle, protected from disruption by the outer carton and inner supportmember and insulated from shock by the gentle resilience of the sling.

In addition to the separate advantages achievable by the use of aflexible sling and a polygonal inner support member, the suspension ofsling 16 between the end walls 32 and 34 of the polygonal inner supportmember provides yet another independent structural advantage overpacking containers heretofore known. By suspending sling 16 between endwalls 32 and 34, a tensile force is created on the inner support memberthat urges end walls inwardly toward the center of the container. This,in turn, urges outer edges 44 and 46 outwardly against side walls 20 and22, respectively, of the outer carton. Thus, whenever a potentiallydamaging force is exerted against the weakest part of the outer carton(i.e., the middle of the side walls), such force will first have toovercome the outward force on edges 44 and 46 before it can deform theouter carton. This inner stress feature, therefore, provides an extramargin of safety not found in any of the shock-proof containers of theprior art.

In this context, it should also be noted that the inherent structure ofthe inner support member also prevents any abuse of the above-describedapparatus that might otherwise occur by fastening the flexible sling tootightly to the end walls of the inner support member. Without thisinherent safeguard, it is possible that overtightening of the slingwould either cause the outer carton to become deformed from within orwould cause the side walls of the inner support members to collapse andpermit the end walls to move inwardly toward the center of thecontainer. As shown in FIG. 3, the side walls of the inner supportmember are considerably longer than the distance between the outer edgesof the end walls of the inner support member and the side walls of theouter carton, thus making the right triangles formed between innersupport member and the outer carton quite narrow. As a result, the forceexerted by the sling on the .end walls of the inner support member isdirected primarily in a longitudinal direction along the respective sidewalls, with only a moderate amount of leverage being available forbending the side walls of the inner support member or for deflectingoutwardly the side walls of the outer carton.

Because of the extra strength and the addedsafeguard provided by thelong side walls of a hexagonal inner support member, a hexagonal innersupport member is employed in the preferred practice of the presentinvention instead of an octagonal member, which necessarily would haveshorter side walls.

Another important feature of the present invention is that interiorsupport member 14 may be constructed out of a single corrugatedcardboard blank, as shown in FIG. 5. The blank comprises an elongatedrectangular sheet of corrugated cardboard 58 which is scored alongvertical lines 60, 62, 64, 66, and 68, in order to form the side wallsand end walls of the interior support member. The cardboard blank alsocomprises locking flaps 48 and 50 which extend upwardly from the longside of cardboard blank 58 (FIG. 5 orientation). The junction betweenlocking flaps 48 and 50 and the rectangular blank 58 comprises slots 70,72, 74, and 78 and scored lines 78 and 80. Thus, after cardboard blank48 has been folded along the vertical scored lines shown in FIG. 5 andthe outer ends of sides 40 and 42 have been joined together, flaps 48and 50 may be folded downwardly over the outside of ends 32 and 34,respectively thereby providing means for locking the respective ends inplace when the inner support member is placed in the outer carton.

Slots or openings 52 and 54 formed in the ends of inner support member14 comprise die-cut slots 52 and 54 in the respective end walls 32 and34 and corresponding slots 52' and 54' in the locking flaps 48 and 50.When locking flap 48 is folded downwardly over end wall 32 and lockingflap 50 is folded downwardly over end wall 34, the respective openings52 and 52 and 54 and 54' mate with each other, thus providing openingsfor the ends of the flexible sling to be passed therethrough.

As pointed out earlier, the shock-proof shipping container of thepresent invention provides numerous advantages over the shippingcontainers of the prior art. The present invention employs onlyinexpensive conventional corrugated cardboard structural members andrequires no complex fabrication procedures, yet it provides morestrength and durability than any of the more complex and more expensivespeciality shipping containers used in the prior art. Moreover, thepresent invention employs no dunnage or filling materials. Also, theitems to be shipped are packaged in an airtight plastic wrapping, whichprotects the fragile article from moisture and dust during shipping.

A further important advantage of the present invention, as shown in FIG.2, is that the fragile article to be shipped may be wrapped in a plasticwrapping and fastened securely to the inner support member before theinner support member is fitted into the outer cardboard carton. Thus,when the fragile article is to be unpacked, the inner support member andattached sling and fragile article may be removed gently from the outershipping carton before the article need be released from the slingmechanism, thus facilitating a more gentle handling in unpacking thefragile article than would otherwise be possible if the sling weremounted directly to the wall of the outer carton. Morevoer, the factthat no staples or other fastening devices are attached directly to theouter carton permits the reuse of the outer carton any number of times.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the arrange ments taught hereinare merely exemplary of the preferred practice of the subject inventionand that additional changes, modifications, and variations may be madein the arrangements shown herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention.

1. A shock-proof packing container comprising:

a'rectangular outer carton comprising two end walls a and two sidewalls;

a polygonal inner support member that fits within the outer carton andbears against all four walls thereof, said inner support membercomprising two opposing end walls that abut the two opposing end wallsof the outer carton, the end walls of the inner support member beingnarrower than the end walls of the outer carton;

locking flap means adapted to hold the inner support member in a fixedposition within the outer carton, said locking flap means comprising apair of flat locking flaps attached to the respective end walls of theinner support member and interposed between the end walls of the innersupport member and outer carton, said locking flaps extending outwardlyinto contact with the side walls of the outer carton so as to maintainthe end walls of the inner support member in a fixed position relativeto the outer carton; and

flexible sling means suspended between opposing walls of the innersupport member, said flexible sling means being adapted to envelop andhold fragile articles in suspension in the interior of the container.

2. A shock-proof packing container as claimed in claim 1, wherein theflexible sling is attached to and suspended between the end walls of theinner support member.

3. A packing container as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the end walls and the locking flaps have openings adjacent the midpointsthereof such that the locking flaps and end wall openings mate when thelocking flaps are placed over the end walls, thereby forming a singleopening through each end of the inner support member; and

the ends of the flexible sling extend through the respective openings inthe ends of the inner support member and are fastened to the innersupport member.

4. A container as claimed in claim 3 wherein the flexible slingcomprises a polyethylene wrapper in which the fragile article iswrapped, and the ends of the polyethylene wrapper are extended throughthe openings in the end walls of the interior support member and arefolded over the top of the interior support member and are stapledthereto.

5. A shock-proof packing container as claimed in claim 1 wherein theinner support member is formed from a single flat piece of packingmaterial.

6. A shock-proof packing container as claimned in claim 5 wherein theinner support member is formed from a single, flat corrugated cardboardblank, said blank comprising an elongated rectangular member which isprovidedwith transverse score lines, so that the piece may be folded inorder to form the polygonal inner support member, said blank furthercomprising two rectangular tabs attached to the long side of theelongated rectangular member along the portions thereof that form theupper edges of the end walls of the inner support member, said blankbeing scored along the lines of attachment of the tabs to the elongatedrectangular member so that the tabs are bendable downwardly over the endwalls in order to form locking flaps.

7. A shock-proof packing container ile articles comprising:

a rectangular outer carton having two end walls and two side walls;

an inner support means adapted to fit snugly within said outer carton,said inner support means comprising a channel-shaped member having atleast six sides, with said channel-shaped member comprising two opposingend walls that abut the end walls of the outer carton and side wallswhich extend outwardly into contact with the respective side walls ofthe outer carton adjacent the midpoints thereof, said inner supportmember further comprising locking flaps attached to each of the endwalls thereof, said locking flaps being interposed between the end wallsof the inner support member and the outer carton and extending outwardlyfrom the inner support member into contact with the side walls of theouter carton, thereby holding the end walls of the inner support meansin a fixed position with respect to the end walls of the packingcontainer; and

a flexible sling means attached to two opposing walls of the interiorsupport means, said flexible sling means being adapted to envelop andhold fragile for shipping fragarticles in suspension in the interior ofthe com" tainer.

8. A shock-proof packing container as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the inner support member is hexagonal; and the flexible sling isattached to and suspended between the end walls of the inner supportmember. 9. A packing container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the innersupport member is formed of a single sheet of flat packing material,said sheet comprising an elongated rectangular member having transversescore lines so that the member may be folded in order to form thehexagonal inner support member, said sheet further comprisingrectangular tabs attached to the long side of the elongated rectangularmember along the upper edge of the portion of the elongated rectangularsheet that forms the end walls of the inner support member.

whereby, the channeLshaped member may be formed by folding the elongatedrectangular sheet in order to form the hexagonal inner support memberand then folding the tabs downwardly over the end walls of the innersupport means in order to form locking flaps.

10. A shock-proof packing container for fragile articles comprising:

'a rectangular outer carton having two vertical end walls, two verticalside walls, and a top and a bottom, the top of which'comprises flapsthat may be opened or closed;

an inner support member adapted to fit snugly within the outer carton,said inner support member comprising:

a six-sided channel-shaped member having closed vertical sides and anopen top and bottom, the sides of said channel-shaped member being equalto the height of the sides of the outer carton and comprising twoopposing end walls that are narrower than and abut the end walls of theouter carton, said sides of said channel-shaped member furthercomprising four side walls that extend outwardly from the end walls ofthe inner support member and bear against the side walls of the outercarton adjacent the midpoints thereof; and

locking flaps attached to the end walls of the inner support member andinterposed between the respective end walls of the inner support memberand the outer carton, said locking flaps extending outwardly so as tobear against the side walls of the outer carton, thereby maintaining theend walls of the inner support member in a fixed transverse positionrelative to the end walls of the outer carton; and

a flexible sling comprising a plastic wrapper wherein fragile articlesto be shipped are securely wrapped. the ends of the flexible sling beingextended respectively through openings formed in the end walls andlockingflaps of the inner support member and being drawn tightly overthe top edge of the end walls and stapled thereto.

I i I packing

1. A shock-proof packing container comprising: a rectangular outercarton comprising two end walls and two side walls; a polygonal innersupport member that fits within the outer carton and bears against allfour walls thereof, said inner support member comprising two opposingend walls that abut the two opposing end walls of the outer carton, theend walls of the inner support member being narrower than the end wallsof the outer carton; locking flap means adapted to hold the innersupport member in a fixed position within the outer carton, said lockingflap means comprising a pair of flat locking flaps attached to therespective end walls of the inner support member and interposed betweenthe end walls of the inner support member and outer carton, said lockingflaps extending outwardly into contact with the side walls of the outercarton so as to maintain the end walls of the inner support member in afixed position relative to the outer carton; and flexible sling meanssuspended between opposing walls of the inner support member, saidflexible sling means being adapted to envelop and hold fragile articlesin suspension in the interior of the container.
 2. A shock-proof packingcontainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible sling is attachedto and suspended between the end walls of the inner support member.
 3. Apacking container as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the end walls and thelocking flaps have openings adjacent the midpoints thereof such that thelocking flaps and end wall openings mate when the locking flaps areplaced over the end walls, thereby forming a single opening through eachend of the inner support member; and the ends of the flexible slingextend through the respective openings in the ends of the inner supportmember and are fastened to the inner support member.
 4. A container asclaimed in claim 3 wherein the flexible sling comprises a polyethylenewrapper in which the fragile article is wrapped, and the ends of thepolyethylene wrapper are extended through the openings in the end wallsof the interior support member and are folded over the top of theinterior support member and are stapled thereto.
 5. A shock-proofpacking container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the inner support memberis formed from a single flat piece of packing material.
 6. A shock-proofpacking container as claimned in claim 5 wherein the inner supportmember is formed from a single, flat corrugated cardboard blank, saidblank comprising an elongated rectangular member which is provided withtransverse score lines, so that the piece may be folded in order to formthe polygonal inner support member, said blank further comprising tworectangular tabs attached to the long side of the elongated rectangularmember along the portions thereof that form the upper edges of the endwalls of the inner support member, said blank being scored along thelines of attachment of the tabs to the elongated rectangular member sothat the tabs are bendable downwardly over the end walls in order toform locking flaps.
 7. A shock-proof packing container for shippingfragile articles comprising: a rectangular outer carton having two endwalls and two side walls; an inner support means adapted to fit snuglywithin said outer carton, said inner support means comprising achannel-shaped member having at least six sides, with saidchannel-shaped member comprising two opposing end walls that abut theend walls of the outer carton and side walls which extend outwardly intocontact with the respective side walls of the outer carton adjacent themidpoints thereof, said inner support member further comprising lockingflaps attached to each of the end walls thereof, said locking flapsbeing interposed between the end walls of the inner support member andthe outer carton and extending outwardly from the inner support memberinto contact with the side walls of the outer carton, thereby holdingthe end walls of the inner support means in a fixed position withrespect to the end walls of the packing container; and a flexible slingmeans attached to two opposing walls of the interior support means, saidflexible sling means being adapted to envelop and hold fragile articlesin suspension in the interior of the container.
 8. A shock-proof packingcontainer as claimed in claim 7, wherein: the inner support member ishexagonal; and the flexible sling is attached to and suspended betweenthe end walls of The inner support member.
 9. A packing container asclaimed in claim 8, wherein the inner support member is formed of asingle sheet of flat packing material, said sheet comprising anelongated rectangular member having transverse score lines so that themember may be folded in order to form the hexagonal inner supportmember, said sheet further comprising rectangular tabs attached to thelong side of the elongated rectangular member along the upper edge ofthe portion of the elongated rectangular sheet that forms the end wallsof the inner support member. whereby, the channel-shaped member may beformed by folding the elongated rectangular sheet in order to form thehexagonal inner support member and then folding the tabs downwardly overthe end walls of the inner support means in order to form locking flaps.10. A shock-proof packing container for packing fragile articlescomprising: a rectangular outer carton having two vertical end walls,two vertical side walls, and a top and a bottom, the top of whichcomprises flaps that may be opened or closed; an inner support memberadapted to fit snugly within the outer carton, said inner support membercomprising: a six-sided channel-shaped member having closed verticalsides and an open top and bottom, the sides of said channel-shapedmember being equal to the height of the sides of the outer carton andcomprising two opposing end walls that are narrower than and abut theend walls of the outer carton, said sides of said channel-shaped memberfurther comprising four side walls that extend outwardly from the endwalls of the inner support member and bear against the side walls of theouter carton adjacent the midpoints thereof; and locking flaps attachedto the end walls of the inner support member and interposed between therespective end walls of the inner support member and the outer carton,said locking flaps extending outwardly so as to bear against the sidewalls of the outer carton, thereby maintaining the end walls of theinner support member in a fixed transverse position relative to the endwalls of the outer carton; and a flexible sling comprising a plasticwrapper wherein fragile articles to be shipped are securely wrapped, theends of the flexible sling being extended respectively through openingsformed in the end walls and locking flaps of the inner support memberand being drawn tightly over the top edge of the end walls and stapledthereto.